Hoping to blog soon...

I am reading but not able to post. Work is keeping me offline and on a tight schedule. I appreciate the conversation and hopefully will have some time to add to it this weekend or next week.

Love you all -- good to chat when I was back in the states.

Sara Naab

Hoping to blog soon...

I am reading but not able to post. Work is keeping me offline and on a tight schedule. I appreciate the conversation and hopefully will have some time to add to it this weekend or next week.

Love you all -- good to chat when I was back in the states.

Matthew 8

Adam -- in chapter 8 verse 10-12 it seems like that guy is just paying lip service to jesus in hopes that he is holy. I mean I know that Jesus could know if the dude is genuine but if I was there I would think the guy was just sucking up or something. I guess my question is....Is that all a person has to do to have "such great faith."

Kelsey-- I don't understand how this is all fitting together, it seems like there's a big jump in Jesus's paradigm. Before he basically said that he shouldn't have to perform miracles for people to know who he is, but now he is going around and performing miracles. I understand why this needs to be done -- I mean, who's going to believe a guy that just says he's the son of God, you need some sort of backing... -- but I don't understand what caused the switch. Also, I don't understand how all of a sudden everyone just seems to know he's the Lord. He JUST had his little meeting with the disciples on the mountain side and as soon as he comes down there's a man with leprosy who somehow knows he can cure his sickness. Was there a jump in time that wasn't explained? And how is it that word spread so fast? It's not like they could just pick up a phone back then...

be prepared crew, we're going deep!

Ok, just as an overall warning to all...it's 3am and Kelsey is in one of her pensive moods...so we're going deep!

Right away, Matthew 7 jumps out at me because it addresses the very issue which had kept me away from Christianity for so long: judgment and hypocrisy.

Now, I want to say first and foremost that this post is in no way meant to attack or offend any of you who read it, because I love you all dearly. This post will simply be a reflection of my past, and some present, frustrations with the politics of the Christian church.

When I look into the current realm of politics in the United States, I am continually and utterly shocked and disappointed. There are so many issues today, like gay marriage/civil unions, which have been pushed to the forefront of the political arena by the Christian church; and I must say that in most cases I find myself completely confused and betrayed by their political stance. Jesus, as noted in Matthew 7, continually preached about acceptance and love for your brothers - no matter who they are. In the very beginning of Matthew 7 we are warned about passing judgment on others - it's simply not our place. Who are we to tell another that what they're doing is wrong? This is God's job, and in many times I feel like we are trying to step into shoes which are far too large for us to fill. Not only is it not our place because we are not God, but it is not our place because not one of us is perfect or without sin and to my understanding no sin is greater than another. God does not "rank" our sins. For example, homosexuality is no greater of a sin than adultry or even dishonoring your mother or father. I refuse to believe that one of us has no sawdust in our eyes. So why is it that we feel justified in our attempts to control and pass judgment on other's lives? Are forgiveness and acceptance not two of Jesus's greatest lessons? I simply can not understand how it is that we justify this disregardance of Jesus's teachings.

Matthew 7 encompasses many of life's lessons which we should all remind ourselves of daily. "Do to others what you would have them do to you." "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." "Enter through the narrow gate." I personally believe that these are some of Christianity's most important lessons, but I feel as though they are so often forgotten for the sake of politics as well as an attempt to take the easy route. Accusing others of sin and attempting to control their lives based on this judgment is NOT what should make us feel like good Christians; acceptance, forgiveness, self-improvement and living in God's light is what we should focus and strive for -- if we can do this, the kingdom of heaven would certainly be our reward.

I'd like to mention that this post has also been fueled by a recent string of hate crimes across GVSU's campus targeting students of racial minorities, religious minorities, as well as sexual orientation. These events have sparked a lot of talk and debate regarding not only what the University's response should be, but has also re-ignited the homosexuality debate among many students. Maybe I'm way off base, and if you feel that's the case please let me know...but all of this has caused me to ask the question "if Jesus were here, what would he do? What would he say?"

Matthew 7

Adam-
So this chapter to me is all about walking the walk. It's all about a persons actions over words. What I got out of this was from verse 15 where Jesus talk talks about false prophets. This is very relevant to us at GV because much of the debate between Kelsey and I (Adam) has been about how the church talks a good game but does not always practice the same lessons. I believe Jesus is condemning anyone using his name and words to raise themselves up in the eyes of other men. He goes on to preach that a person who hears his words and "walks the Jesus walk" is very wise in God's eyes. Back to last weeks blog where I said I suck at life. I understand what is asked of me and I know the rewards of obedience, so it comes down to putting myself in the position to stay out of tempting situations where it is easy to stray.